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Sergei Prokofiev's most popular opera is a swift-moving romp through a flimsy fairy tale of a king cured by laughter who magically pursues three oranges, from one of which emerges the lovely Princess Ninetta. Evil plots and machinations run through the farce, all of which is set to brilliantly orchestrated music. Written in 1919, the opera is frankly iconoclastic; Prokofiev mocked traditional aria-laden operas and pursued a modernism whose shock value is muted today, but whose inventiveness continues to fascinate. The nature of his chosen idiom, though, means listeners shouldn't expect many hummable tunes beyond the popular march. Much of the opera's success lies in stagings that exploit the limitless possibilities of the fairy-tale setting. Beyond its glittery surface, the opera's irony and mockery of the pretentious have contemporary relevance.
Valery Gergiev leads a zestful performance, brimming with sparkling wit. The key roles of the king and his newfound beloved are well sung by Akimov and Netrebko, and the chorus and orchestra are first-rate, though the singing of some of the lesser roles is variable. Recorded live, the performance has a spontaneity rarely caught in the studio.
--Dan Davis